


Fixing Broken Hearts

by bangster_12



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: A little angst, Blink and You'll Miss It ChanSoo and SeSoo, Doctors AU, Kim brothers, M/M, Mutual Pining, ex-lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:01:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27711734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bangster_12/pseuds/bangster_12
Summary: Yixing is a gifted cardiothoracic surgeon. He fixes hearts, even the broken ones.But someone from his past came back with a heart in need of fixing.Will he fix the heart that has broken his?
Relationships: Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Zhang Yi Xing | Lay
Comments: 12
Kudos: 55
Collections: Round 1 of Tales of the Lotus Fest





	Fixing Broken Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Prompt LT095.
> 
> Please excuse my medical knowledge as it is either little or non-existent. I rely on watching too much Grey's Anatomy, Cells At Work, Romantic Doctor and Hospital Playlist. Though I did a little research to an extent.
> 
> To the prompter, thank you so much for the prompt and I hope I did it justice.
> 
> To the readers, enjoy the story.

His colleagues call Yixing the Handy Man. And no, not in a scary kind of way. But just like the song 'Handy Man' by James Taylor. If one would need their broken hearts to be repaired, Yixing is the one to see.

He’s a doctor. And a really good one.

He used to be a hotshot doctor from a big city but he moved to the countryside five years ago. The pay was low compared to what he was making back in the city and one would think that moving away from the city meant that his workload would be light. But it wasn’t the case. He was busier than ever. As the only cardiothoracic surgeon in a provincial hospital, he runs almost everything.

And Yixing was thankful for that. He was grateful that he was busy. At least all he could think about was work, work, and only work.

He has no second to spare for another thought.

“Do you even sleep?” Kyungsoo asked when Yixing approached the nurse’s station to get his patients’ charts. “I saw you last night when I went home and now you’re still here when I arrived.”

“Good morning, Kyungsoo,” Yixing greeted. “How’s our patient in 301?”

“He’s good to go. Baekhyun is with his family and telling them about the post-surgery care,” Kyungsoo replied. “No seriously, Yixing, have you ever lived in your house?”

“Where do you think I sleep?” Yixing asked as he grabbed a pen from his coat pocket to sign the charts.

“I wouldn’t call it sleeping. What Yixing does is napping,” Chanyeol joined them. His thick hair was a mess and his eyes were half-closed. His thick glasses slid down his nose. “Coffee. I need coffee,” he stumbled away from them.

“What happened to him?” Yixing asked as they watched Chanyeol blindly walking the hallways.

“His patient in the ICU kept coding so he stayed to monitor her himself,” Kyungsoo said.

“Is she okay?”

“Yeah, the patient is finally stable. But you still haven’t answered my question.”

“What question?” Nurse Baekhyun joined them. “Dr. Zhang, I’m happy to tell you that Mr. Cho, your shared patient with Dr. Do in room 301, is already on his way home. And my, my, don’t you look dashing as ever. How do you even look so good when you don’t sleep at all?”

“A mystery, right?” Kyungsoo said. He wanted to tease Yixing more but his phone rang loudly. “Oh, shoot, a TA patient. Intern! To the ER!” 

“Stop calling me Intern!” Sehun, a second-year GS resident, followed Kyungsoo to the emergency room. He just came out from one of the rooms and wanted to join in the conversation when Kyungsoo called for him.

“So no major happenings for today?” Yixing asked Baekhyun.

“Thank God, yes,” Baekhyun sighed as he sat down on the swivel chair. “But the day is just starting, Dr. Zhang.”

Yixing was done doing his rounds and was just staying in his office preparing for his online conference with Mayo Clinic when his phone pinged with a message. Kyungsoo wanted him in radiology for a consult.

“What happened?” Yixing asked Baekhyun who was also going to radiology. “Were you paged too?”

“No, but everyone is so I’m going too.”

“Yixing,” Kyungsoo called once he entered the room. “Look. Is this what I think it is?”

Yixing put his hands on the edge of the table and leaned closer so he could properly see the CT scan.

“Yup, that’s an aortic dissection,” Yixing confirmed.

“Oh, my god!” Sehun exclaimed. “I never saw one before.”

“I did before in my intern years but we weren’t able to operate as the patient died before we could even plan a surgery,” Kyungsoo said. “Have you done one?”

Yixing nodded. “I’ve done three and I assisted on several cases too when I was a resident.”

“Whose scan is this?” Baekhyun asked. “The TA patient?”

“Yeah, motorcycle accident. There were no other injuries apart from some scrapes but he kept complaining that his chest felt like tearing so we took a CT scan,” Kyungsoo said.

“So the patient is young then?” Yixing asked. 

“Yeah, only thirty-two,” Kyungsoo answered.

“But aortic dissection is for old people,” Baekhyun said.

“Not really. It is rare for young people but it can still happen,” Chanyeol said. “There are several causes of aortic dissection and one of them is vehicular accidents. He must’ve hit his chest pretty hard.”

“Yeah, the EMT said that he was lucky that he has no other injuries,” Sehun said.

“Well, not that lucky,” Baekhyun pointed to the scan again. “Isn’t aortic dissection risky?”

“Not always,” Yixing answered. “Depends on severity. Does the patient have a history of hypertension?”

“Yes,” Kyungsoo said. “Hypertensive parents but he says it was not that bad. Oh, and he used to smoke, a lot, when he was in college.”

“Hmm, that could’ve helped in the tear,” Yixing added.

“Are you going to operate?” Sehun asked eagerly.

“We have to,” Yixing said. “Before it gets severe. Was the patient already informed?”

“Not yet,” Kyungsoo replied. “We haven’t been back to him yet. We wanted to be sure that’s why we called you. Can you come with us so we can explain it to him? I’m not well-versed in the matters of the heart,” he said as the group got out of the room and made their way to the ER.

“Medically or…” Chanyeol baited.

“Shut up, ex,” Kyungsoo snapped, which had Chanyeol laughing as he walked back to his own office. “The patient's family is already on their way here.”

“Okay,” Yixing asked. There was still something bothering him about the patient. “What’s the patient’s name?”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo referred to the file in his hand. “It’s...Kim. Kim Junmyeon.”

Yixing stood frozen as he watched his colleagues approach the bed of Kim Junmyeon.

Kim Junmyeon.

The name he refused to even think about for a second. The name he knew would bring a floodgate of emotions, something that Yixing had mastered controlling for five years.

Kim Junmyeon was listening intently to what his doctors were saying. There was a bandage on his head and little scrapes and cuts on his face. He hasn’t seen Yixing yet. So Yixing had a moment to compose himself.

Yixing finally heard his name being called and Junmyeon looked up in surprise. 

After five heartbreaking years, their eyes finally met.

Yixing knew that the ER was noisy and bustling but all he could hear was his heart thudding in his chest. He should be ashamed of himself. A cardiothoracic surgeon having heart troubles.

His steps were small and slow. Yixing had the element of surprise so he gave Junmyeon a chance to collect himself too.

Junmyeon still looked the same. And it made Yixing go crazy because seeing his ex-lover looking the same after all these years just reminded him of the night they broke up because that was the last time he saw him.

Junmyeon was surprised but he quickly composed himself. Yixing used to complain to Junmyeon how the latter was always able to quickly rein himself in, control his emotions fast, and maintain an unreadable face.

“Dr. Zhang?”

“What?” Yixing turned to Kyungsoo but his colleague’s voice sounded so far away.

“The aortic dissection?” Kyungsoo prompted.

“Oh,” Yixing had to snap out of it. It has been too long. Surely, he must’ve moved on. What he was currently feeling was just...nostalgia? Retrouvaille? But Yixing was sure he wasn't happy at the moment of being reunited with the person who broke his heart.

Oh, how the tables have turned.

“Mr. Kim,” Yixing tried to sound formal. “You have a condition called Aortic Dissection which you may have gotten when you hit your chest hard during the accident. Aortic Dissection means that there’s a tear in your aorta and causing the blood to enter the other layers of the heart. That’s why you’re experiencing severe pain in your chest.”

“Dr. Do said I have to get surgery for it?” Junmyeon asked. He never wandered his eyes away from Yixing.

“Early diagnosis and treatment are very important for aortic dissection,” Yixing said. “Though you’re not in immediate danger as we speak, the history of hypertension in your family and your heavy smoking might’ve made the walls of your heart weak and thin so that’s why my best advice is to have it treated immediately before it will complicate.”

“Wait, I’m still processing all of these,” Junmyeon finally averted his gaze and looked at his scraped palms. It was just a motorcycle accident. His head can’t wrap around the thought that he had to get surgery for his heart. “So if I don’t get this surgery…”

“You will die,” Kyungsoo answered.

“The tear in your heart is in the ascending aorta so it must be treated quickly. It might affect your brain and lungs if not treated right away,” Yixing added.

“Oh. Okay. so I’ll die if I won’t get this surgery,” Junmyeon repeated.

“You don’t have to have it here,” Yixing said. “You can have your surgery in a different hospital and with a different doctor. I can recommend you to a different surgeon.”

“Wait, what?” Sehun interrupted. “I thought you were taking his case?”

“It’s up to the patient,” Yixing told him after giving the young doctor a warning look.

“Wait, hang on, can I just have a minute to process this?” Junmyeon said.

“Of course, Mr. Kim,” Kyungsoo said. “But we recommend you to be admitted now. Your family has been notified and they’re on their way here. Nurse Byun will process your admission,” he nodded to Baekhyun. 

Kyungsoo signaled Sehun to follow him and he pulled Yixing out of the ER.

“What the hell was that, Yixing?” Kyungsoo asked.

“What?”

“I never saw you turn a patient away!”

“I just told him it was up to him if he wants to have the surgery in another hospital. I am not turning him away,” Yixing clarified.

“But you’re the best cardiothoracic surgeon in the world, why would you turn him away?” Sehun asked.

“Again, it’s up to the patient,” he repeated. “I mean it!” he added strongly as Kyungsoo was still looking at him with one brow up.

“I’ll get it out of you, I will,” Kyungsoo said. Then he turned to Sehun and handed him Junmyeon’s charts. “Once the patient is admitted, run some more tests and forward the results to Yixing. As of now, he’s patient Kim’s doctor.”

“But I am not!” Yixing called Kyungsoo who was walking away from them. Yixing was so close to stomping his foot.

“He’s so tiny but he’s so hot when he gets all authoritative,” Sehun swooned after Kyungsoo.

“You know he’ll never date you, right?” Yixing can’t help but say.

“A man can still dream,” Sehun muttered as he walked away.

Yixing retreated to his office and he wanted to bury his head in research. But all he was reading as of the moment were all about aortic dissection.

A sudden knock startled him out of his thoughts. Baekhyun was standing by the door.

“Yixing, are you available now? Patient Kim’s family just arrived and they have questions,” Baekhyun said.

Yixing glanced at this watch. He still has three hours before his conference with Mayo Clinic would start, so yes, he was available.

“Yeah,” Yixing stood and walked towards the nurse who handed him the patient’s charts. 

“We’re still waiting for the result of the bloodwork,” Baekhyun said. “But his BP is still elevated.”

“Is he taking medication for that?”

Baekhyun shook his head. “He said he was never diagnosed with hypertension so he was never prescribed any.”

“Hmm,” Yixing looked at the patient’s files. “His test results look good. Let him rest first and then let’s take his BP again. If it’s still high, let’s put him on medication.”

“Okay, doctor,” Baekhyun said. He entered the patient’s room first to introduce Yixing. 

Yixing took a breath before entering the room. He knew that Junmyeon’s parents were dead and that his only family now was his three brothers. Despite them dating for a long time, Yixing never met Junmyeon’s brothers.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Zhang,” Yixing shook hands with the three brothers.

“I’m Minseok, I’m his older brother and these are my younger brothers, Jongdae and Jongin,” Minseok said. “Junmyeon mentioned that there was a problem in his heart? And that he needed surgery?”

Baekhyun handed Yixing the CT scan and Yixing walked towards the lightboard and placed the scan against it.

“Patient Kim has a condition called an aortic dissection,” Yixing said as he pointed to the scan. “We’re not sure yet but it may have been caused by the accident.”

“That stupid motorcycle,” Jongdae muttered angrily. “I knew it was dangerous.”

“Shut up, Dae,” Junmyeon said. “Go on, doctor.”

“As I was saying, this may have been caused by the accident but there are other factors that can cause this too. History of hypertension in the family and smoking,” Yixing said.

“See, Junmyeon? See what smoking did to your body?” Jongdae said then he turned to Yixing. “You may as well check his liver, doctor. There wasn’t a day when he wasn’t drinking alcohol.”

“Oh, my god! Will you please shut up?!” Junmyeon snapped at his younger brother. He knew Jongdae meant well but he's just not in the mood to be understanding.

“But none of us are hypertensive,” Minseok interrupted before it could turn into a shouting match.

“Yes, but both of your parents were,” Yixing said.

“The patient’s BP is elevated,” Baekhyun added. “If it won’t go down, we will start him on medication.”

All of them were startled when someone suddenly wailed.

“Oh, come on, Jongin! Not you too!” Junmyeon was close to losing his mind. 

He only told the nurse to call his older brother. He didn’t want his younger brothers to come because he knew how they would behave. Jongdae will berate him for all his past behaviors and will tell him that he deserves what he got. And Jongin, their sweet youngest brother, would not be able to handle the tears.

“I told you not to bring them!” Junmyeon turned to Minseok.

“What am I supposed to do? They heard me talking on the phone. And why are you so far away from home?!” Minseok asked.

“God, my BP will not be down, I tell you,” Junmyeon said. “Jongin, please don’t cry. I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine!” Jongin sniffled and showed his phone to them. “It says here that surgery for aortic dissection is risky! That it’s an open-heart surgery! They will have to stop your heart so that they can fix it!”

“What?” Minseok turned to Yixing. “Is it true?”

“I’m afraid so. The tear is located in his ascending aorta so we have to do open-heart surgery. We need his heart still so I can fix it,” Yixing answered. Jongin cried harder.

“I’m going to pop a vessel, I swear to god,” Junmyeon lied back on his bed.

“How about we finish this discussion in Dr. Zhang’s office so we can let the patient rest?” Baekhyun gestured the three brothers out.

Yixing stared at Junmyeon on the bed before he followed the brothers out of the room.

Yixing had experienced long days before but today was the longest he felt. For the first time in forever, he longed to go back home and be away from the hospital. He planned to visit Junmyeon’s room before he leaves. It wasn’t anything special. He just wanted to be a good doctor and check on his patients. He also does that for his other patients. It was already ten in the evening and he expected the patient to be sleeping. But the room was empty.

He found Junmyeon later by the vending machine near the elevators.

“You shouldn’t be standing up,” Yixing told him.

Junmyeon was slightly startled at the voice.

“Didn’t the nurse advise you to avoid standing and walking? We’re trying to bring your BP down.”

“I would’ve stayed in bed if the hospital food was satisfactory. It was not,” Junmyeon bent down to get his can of coffee. But Yixing quickly swiped it from his hand. “What are you doing?”

“Caffeine is prohibited,” Yixing said. “And you should’ve been fasting now. You have a lipid panel test tomorrow.”

Junmyeon groaned. “God, can I have just a minute with no one to remind me how sick I am?”

Yixing suddenly felt guilty. “I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m…” Junmyeon sighed. He walked to the nearest bench and sat down. Yixing followed him and sat beside him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap on you.”

“It’s understandable, Junmyeon,” Yixing said.

“So I’m not patient Kim now?” Junmyeon gave him a tired smile.

Yixing cleared his throat and averted his gaze. “Where are your brothers?”

“Jongdae and Jongin had to go home,” Junmyeon said. “Jongin has an exam this week and Jongdae has to stay with him. Minseok just went to the nearest convenience store to buy some toiletries.”

“Jongin’s in college now, right?”

“Yeah,” Junmyeon chuckled. “Guess what he’s taking?”

Yixing was confused with the question at first. Then his face brightened with realization. “No! Really?”

“Yeah.”

Yixing remembered Junmyeon telling him that Jongin was the smartest of all the Kim brothers and also the most sensitive. So for him to be taking pre-med was surprising. But also not.

“Did you try to stop him from taking pre-med?”

“Oh, yes, multiple times,” Junmyeon smiled at the memory. “I told him that he can’t be a doctor since he will just end up crying when he can’t save his patient.”

“Well, I think those with bigger hearts will make good doctors,” Yixing said. “By bigger hearts, I didn’t mean those with literal big hearts. That’s a medical problem if they have a big heart.”

Junmyeon smiled at him again. “So this is where you went?” he looked around the empty halls of the hospital. “It’s a bit quiet and small for a hospital, right?”

“That’s why I loved it,” Yixing said. “And don’t underestimate it. It might be a small hospital but the number of patients we get here is still enough to drive anyone crazy.”

“So you’re still living in the hospital, then?”

Yixing’s smile froze. He can recall the times they fought because of Yixing being always in the hospital.

“So, how about you? What have you been doing?” Yixing chose to ignore Junmyeon's question.

“I’ve been in between jobs as of the moment,” Junmyeon answered. “I really can’t stay long in one place.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Yixing spoke in a small voice.

“Is there really a risk of me dying if I get the operation?” Junmyeon asked after a moment of silence.

“There’s always that risk in surgeries, Junmyeon. In any kind of surgery. But you know what?”

“What?”

“Your doctor is very good and he’s confident so you don’t have to worry,” Yixing said.

“Oh, good then. So when can I meet my doctor?”

Yixing playfully pushed Junmyeon. “Rude.”

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Minseok came out and proceeded towards Junmyeon’s room. He didn’t notice the two on the bench.

“Your brothers…” 

“No, they don’t know about us,” Junmyeon answered Yixing’s unspoken question. “Your friends, do they know?”

“No,” Yixing shook his head. “This won’t be a problem, right? I was really serious when I said I could recommend you to another doctor and hospital.”

“Why would it be a problem?”

“Well, we...we have a history.”

“So? Is it a breach of professionalism to treat someone’s ex-lover?”

“Only when the parties are still involved.”

“Well, we’re not involved anymore, are we?” Junmyeon said.

“No, we’re not,” Yixing said.

“And besides, I wouldn’t trust anyone else other than you to fix my broken heart. Literally.” 

“There you are,” Minseok appeared before them. “I got worried for a second. Oh, hello, Dr. Zhang.”

“Hello.”

“Were you checking up on Junmyeon?” Minseok asked.

“Yes,” Yixing stood as he handed the can of coffee to Minseok. “He’s not allowed to have coffee.”

“Junmyeon, you were trying to get coffee?”

Junmyeon rolled his eyes. “Thanks for ratting me out,” he said as he stood.

“He has a lipid panel test tomorrow so he should be fasting now,” Yixing told Minseok.

“Yes, Nurse Baekhyun told me,” Minseok said. “Thank you, doctor.”

Yixing can’t remember the last time he slept in a proper bed and for a long time. Everything that transpired in the last twenty-four hours felt so surreal to him.

“Good morning,” Yixing greeted his usual gang who were huddled up around a computer for some reason. “What’s going on?”

Baekhyun turned the monitor to him. There was an impish grin on his face.

Yixing squinted at what was shown on the screen. It was a photo of a bunch of people and it took him almost a minute to figure out that he was in the photo. So was Junmyeon. He had both of his arms wrapped around Yixing’s waist and his lips were pressed on his cheek while Yixing looked so blissfully happy. It was a candid shot.

The photo was taken when Yixing was still a first-year college student. It was an end of sem party and he and Junmyeon used to attend those parties.

“Not only did you go to the same college with patient Kim, but you also used to date him,” Kyungsoo smiled triumphantly at him.

All his friends have mischievous smiles on their faces.

“Guys, this is an invasion of privacy,” Yixing said. 

“Not when it’s on social media,” Baekhyun said.

“Now, that’s just stalking,” Yixing said. “And what of it?”

“Was that the reason why you didn’t want to accept his case?” Chanyeol asked and Yixing looked at him in question. “Oh, yes, they told me the juicy details.”

Yixing rolled his eyes. “And they should’ve told you my answer to that,” he said.

“Why didn’t you just tell us?” Kyungsoo asked.

“I didn’t think it was necessary,” Yixing said. “I mean, none of you guys knew me five years ago.”

“Not without trying,” Sehun commented. “Wait, oh my god!”

“What?” Everyone turned to Sehun.

“Patient Kim’s last post was five years ago,” Sehun scrolled through his phone. “It was just a black square with the caption ‘You were the best part of me.’ He was referring to you, wasn’t he? And is he the reason why you’ve become a workaholic also? You drowned yourself in work so you don't have to feel the pain?”

“Oooh, Sehun coming in with hot questions,” Baekhyun teased.

“Don’t you have a solo surgery to prepare for?” Yixing asked Sehun.

“I do but this is important too,” Sehun readily answered. 

“No, kid, you should really prepare. I don’t want death on the table. Especially not under my supervision. Go,” Kyungsoo told Sehun.

“But --”

“Go now, Sehun, or he'll ban you from the OR and you won’t be able to see an OR for a month. Trust me. He did that to me more than once,” Chanyeol advised.

“Fine,” Sehun stood up. “But you guys tell me what’s his answer,” he added before leaving.

“I’m not going to answer that and we have lives to save, people,” Yixing told them as he also left for his office.

“Doctor, it’s time for your rounds,” Baekhyun knocked on his door a few hours later.

“Oh, right,” Yixing paused a video of aortic dissection repair on his computer. He had been researching for surgeries of young patients with the same condition.

“You know we are just teasing, right?” Baekhyun told him as he handed him his patients’ charts.

“I know,” Yixing replied.

“There must be a reason why you won’t tell us that and we understand,” Baekhyun said.

“There’s really no special reason, Baek. Yes, we started dating in college but it wasn’t working out for us in the later years. I was always busy, he wanted different things and we just decided that breaking up was the best thing for us. Just really that.”

“Okay,” Baekhyun said. “So no feelings left or whatsoever?”

“No.”

“Okay.”

Junmyeon was the last patient in Yixing's rounds. They entered the room and Baekhyun had that glint in his eyes and Yixing had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He had given his eyes a lot of exercises just this morning alone.

“Good morning. How are we feeling today?” Yixing asked.

“Hungry,” Junmyeon muttered as he leaned back on his bed.

“Irritable,” Minseok said. “He had been irritable since last night.”

“Try not eating that long, Minseok,” Junmyeon told him.

“Someone will come in here and take your blood for the lipid panel,” Baekhyun told them. “They should be here any minute.”

“How’s his blood pressure?” Yixing asked Baekhyun.

“We already started him on medication. It’s still high but already lower compared to yesterday.”

“That’s good news,” Yixing said. “So, have you decided to do the surgery?”

“Yes,” Minseok said. “We decided to do the surgery, doctor. How soon can he have it?”

“Once we get his BP down and maintain it at that level without medication, then we can schedule the surgery immediately. Nurse Byun will be giving you some papers to read over and then you can come to my office so I can explain everything to you. If you have any questions, you may reach out to Nurse Byun.”

It was another quiet day and Yixing appreciated it that much. His thoughts were still all over the place. He might’ve told Baekhyun that he has no feelings left for Junmyeon but the truth was...Yixing never really stopped loving him.

“Dr. Zhang.”

Yixing looked up from his computer and was surprised to find Kim Minseok standing by his door. “Mr. Kim. Please come in.”

“We will be transferring hospitals,” Minseok suddenly said.

“Excuse me?” Yixing asked.

“We will be transferring hospitals. I don’t want you operating on my brother.”

“I don’t...I’m confused. I thought you already agreed to the surgery.”

“Yes,” Minseok said. “But I don’t want the guy who broke my brother's heart to fix him.”

Yixing just blinked. He was rendered speechless.

“I heard the other doctors talking. And I confirmed it with Junmyeon. You were the guy who left him. You don’t know how my brother suffered because of you. So no, thank you. I don’t care if you're the best surgeon in the world. I don’t want you near my brother.”

Yixing’s phone vibrated on his table but he ignored it.

“Does Junmyeon know about this?” Yixing asked.

“It doesn’t matter. I will not allow any of this.”

“Mr. Kim, please know that I will never let my personal feelings hinder me from doing my job.”

“I don’t care, Dr. Zhang. You may have no feelings left for my brother so this might be easy for you. But my brother has never moved on from you despite what he's been telling us. This will be hard for him. So please understand why I’m doing this. I’m looking out for my brother.”

“Yixing! Why are you not answering your phone?!” Baekhyun suddenly barged into his office. He was panting and there was panic all over his face. “Code Blue in Room 522!”

“522?”

“That’s Junmyeon’s room!” Minseok stood and ran towards the door.

“Switch with me,” Yixing told Sehun once he reached the room. Sehun was doing chest compressions on an unconscious Junmyeon while the nurses preparing the defibrillator. “How long?”

“Two minutes,” Sehun was sweating and breathing hard.

Yixing was shouting urgent instructions to the nurses in the room.

“Junmyeon! Junmyeon! Please no!” Minseok cried.

“Someone please remove Mr. Kim from the room!” Yixing cried loudly.

Baekhyun has to pull Minseok out of the room and stayed with him to console the crying brother.

“Defibrillator’s ready, doctor.”

Yixing stopped the compressions and stepped away from the patient as Sehun placed the paddles on Junmyeon's chest.

“Shock!” Sehun cried.

Sehun stepped back and watched the monitors. Yixing put two fingers on Junmyeon’s neck. “We have ROSC,” he breathed hard.

They waited until there was that telltale sound of the monitoring machines for the vitals returning.

Yixing sighed in relief. “Keep ventilating and move the patient to ICU,” he told Sehun. 

“Right away, doctor,” Sehun said.

Yixing turned to Baekhyun who entered the room again. “Where’s his brother?”

“In the hall.”

Yixing stepped out of the room and found the eldest Kim crying at the end of the hall.

“Mr. Kim?”

“Oh my god. How is he?”

“We managed to revive him,” Yixing said. He had to hold Minseok who almost collapsed at what he heard. “We will be doing some tests to check what caused the arrest. I’m sorry to say this but it will be too risky to move your brother now. I know you don’t want me operating on him and I understand. I will call one of my colleagues to come down here to perform the surgery.”

“He needs the surgery now?”

“We still have to wait. Hypertensive patients have higher risks of dying on the table. Their heart can’t just take it.”

“Oh my god,” Minseok wailed.

Yixing held Minseok’s shoulders and guided him towards the bench.

“We’ve moved your brother to the ICU now, that way he can be properly monitored. Once his BP goes down, we will do the surgery right away.”

“He was distraught.”

“I’m sorry?”

“When you two broke up, he was distraught,” Minseok said. “Junmyeon never really tells us anything. But that night, five years ago, he just called me and cried. The first few months were so difficult. It was so hard to watch him waste away his life. I know my brother, Dr. Zhang. And I know that it is his fault that you had to break up with him. I know he’s a difficult person to live with but my brother loved you so much. So much. It was only just recently that he decided to pull himself together and I was hopeful. We were so hopeful. And then this happened.”

“Mr. Kim…”

“I’m sorry for what I said a while ago. I was really just looking out for my brother. I was just afraid that this situation will make him more dependent on you and I don’t want it to happen again. My brother was doing so much better, doctor. So much better.”

“Mr. Kim, if you want another surgeon, I can recommend you to another one.”

Minseok wiped his tears and shook his head. “Junmyeon was right. You’re the best person to do this. You’re a brilliant surgeon and you’re confident you could fix him. So please, doctor. Please fix my brother.” 

Yixing was pulled away from his readings when he felt movement. He stayed in the ICU so he could closely watch over Junmyeon. He was finally awake.

“H-Hey,” Junmyeon weakly said through his ventilating mask.

“Hey,” Yixing stood and put his materials on the chair, and walked towards the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“I think you can tell me much better than myself,” Junmyeon managed to say. He pulled his mask down and turned his head to the side with much effort. Every little movement hurts and he felt so tired like he just ran a thousand marathons. “What happened? Am I seeing double or did the machines hooked up to me multiplied?”

“You arrested this afternoon. Your heart stopped,” Yixing said and he put the mask back to Junmyeon’s face. “And this stays on. At least for now.”

But Junmyeon pulled the mask down again. “I died?”

“I don’t know. Am I talking to a ghost?”

Junmyeon chuckled then winced. “Where’s Minseok?”

“He’s asleep outside,” Yixing said. “I’m afraid no one is allowed here but nurses and doctors.”

“And patients. You need patients in the ICU, doctor.”

“Well, I guess you’re doing much better now that you can joke about this.”

“Were you scared?”

“Hmm?”

“Were you scared when I arrested?”

“I’m always scared for my patients, Junmyeon.”

“No. Not as a patient,” Junmyeon reached for his hand.

Yixing held it. “I was scared the moment I saw you in the ER, Junmyeon.”

Junmyeon’s eyes were dropping as he was feeling sleepy again. “I never get to thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. I still haven’t done the operation.”

Junmyeon just gave him a smile before falling back to sleep. 

“Yixing, got a minute?”

Chanyeol poked his head in Yixing’s office. He looked over for the cardiothoracic surgeon and Baekhyun informed him that Yixing was in his office preparing for patient Kim’s surgery. His BP returned to normal levels and was now ready for surgery. He was also moved back to a private ward since he recovered quickly. They scheduled his surgery in two days.

“Sure, what’s up?”

“The board just had a meeting,” Chanyeol sat down.

“For what?”

“Your issue with Patient Kim.”

“I don’t have an issue with Patient Kim,” Yixing said. “Oh, you meant my relationship with him before.”

Chanyeol nodded. “They were concerned over the ethical implications of you operating on him.”

“I should’ve been called to that meeting.”

“Kyungsoo was there and he explained everything to the board. He said there were no ethical and professional violations made. And that you’re the patient’s best chance of survival.”

“Okay. That’s good,” Yixing sat back on his chair. What Kyungsoo told the board was the truth and what he also would say to them. “But why do you still look concerned?”

“We’re afraid for you.”

“Afraid? I’m not the one who will be operated on. And the board approved so what’s the matter?”

“Yixing,” Chanyeol breathed in deeply. “Tell me honestly, do you really have no feelings for him at all? Not even a little bit?”

“Chanyeol…”

“I know you already told Baekhyun no. But tell me again. No feelings? Not at all?”

“No.”

Chanyeol looked at him for a long time. “You’ve gone above and beyond for this patient and you’re telling me that you no longer have feelings for him.”

“Chanyeol, I don’t know what to tell you guys.”

“We can see your lingering gazes on him, your secret smiles, your shining eyes. When you thought no one was looking, when you finally allowed yourself to be human, when you finally allowed yourself to feel, we saw it, Yixing.”

Yixing stood and walked to the window, can no longer face his colleague when he was caught in a lie. “Then why are you still asking me if you already know the answer?!”

“Because I want to hear it from you! Yixing, we’re really worried for you.”

“Are you afraid that I might botch this surgery because of my feelings?”

“No,” Chanyeol sounded desperate. “We’re just afraid of what might happen during and after. Yixing, this is the man you love. What if he will die on the table? Will you be able to forgive yourself?”

“He will not die on the table. You guys are just making everything bigger and worse.”

“So what if he will?”

“I shall deal with it.”

“Yixing --”

“You're right, Chanyeol. He's the love of my life. He always has been. And he needs me, I’m his best chance to survive, Chanyeol. And I know exactly how this operation is going to impact my life.”

“We’re just worried for you.”

“Your concerns have been duly noted. Tell that to the guys too. Thank you for worrying about me but it’s really unnecessary,” Yixing stormed out of his office. It suddenly felt so suffocating.

Yixing was doing breathing exercises in the garden. He never had an emotional outburst before. Especially not to his colleagues. Now, he felt so ashamed. He may have to apologize to Chanyeol once he had calmed down.

He heard Junmyeon’s voice and when he looked back, Junmyeon was being wheeled outside by his brother. Minseok said something and Junmyeon nodded. Then Minseok was sprinting back inside.

“Where is your brother going?" Yixing asked as he approached the patient.

“Oh. He’s going to relieve himself. Ever since the surgery was scheduled, he’s been so stressed out that he’s having an upset stomach,” Junmyeon answered.

“Hmmm, send him to the clinic so that we can prescribe him medicine.”

“He’s going to be fine, Dr. Zhang. I’m the one who will undergo surgery. You should worry about me.”

“I am worried about you.”

Junmyeon smiled. The wind blew and Junmyeon closed his eyes to feel it. It may be the last time he'll feel the sun and the wind on his skin.

Yixing just stared at the man before him. Junmyeon was handsome, beyond handsome. Yixing recalled when Junmyeon started to ask him out, he was confused. He thought it was a practical joke. The most popular guy on campus asking a nerd out. But Junmyeon was sincere. He always was. 

Being able to look at him this closely, Yixing looked at him to all his heart’s content. Junmyeon looked the same but there were already noticeable changes. The lines on his forehead, the tiny creases by his eyes. And the fluffy cheeks that Yixing loved to bite before were not as fluffy anymore.

“I heard.”

“W-What?” Yixing was startled at the sudden question. Junmyeon still had his eyes closed and so Yixing wasn’t caught staring at him.

“I heard that you got in trouble because of me.”

“Oh. That? Yeah, apparently, everyone in the hospital knew about the board meeting except me.”

“I’m still causing you troubles. Even now.”

“It wasn’t that case, Junmyeon.”

“That’s all I have ever done to you. Cause troubles.”

“Junmyeon, you know that’s not true.”

“But it is. Back when we were dating until the day we broke up. And now, I’m still causing problems for you.”

“Junmyeon --”

“I’m thinking of canceling the surgery.”

“What?”

“There’s a high chance I’ll die on the table. There’s a high chance I’ll die without the surgery. What difference does it make anyway? I’ll die either way.”

“Okay, I don’t know where this is coming from. Yes, there’s that risk. Always. And the difference? The difference is there’s still a higher and bigger chance for you to live. I will fix your heart and you will get to live.”

“Handy Man.”

“What?”

“That’s what the others call you, right? You can fix broken hearts. And now you’re fixing mine.”

“I’m a cardiothoracic surgeon. That’s basically my job.”

“How can you repair the heart that broke yours?” Junmyeon quietly asked. “I’m so ashamed about this, Yixing. I hurt you so many times when we were dating. And here I am begging you to fix my heart. What kind of a shameless man would do that? So sickening. I don’t deserve to live.”

“Junmyeon. Please don’t say that.”

“But it’s true,” Junmyeon turned to him. “I’ll talk to my brother.”

“So you’ll just give up?”

Junmyeon shrugged.

“Okay, I’m so done with this,” Yixing snapped.

“Excuse me?”

“That has always been your problem,” Yixing was shaking in anger. “You just give up. You think you’re so tough but when the tough times get here, your first choice is also to give up. You don’t even consider fighting it!”

“What’s there to fight for?”

“There are always reasons to fight for, Junmyeon. Several reasons! Why can’t you see that?! You know this was the reason we broke up! Because you didn’t care to fight for me! For us! You just went and threw in the towel! And I forgive you. I forgive you for that. I may not be enough for you to fight for that time but please for God’s sake, Junmyeon, fight for this one.”

Junmyeon just stared at him. A couple of tears escaped his eyes but he wiped them off.

“I didn’t give you up,” he said.

“What?”

“I didn’t give you up.”

“What did you say?”

“I didn’t give you up,” Junmyeon spoke louder. “I let you go. You were so unhappy. You were always away and I was always drunk, I was always with my friends. You were unhappy. I heard you cry at night when you thought I was sleeping. I knew it was only a matter of time before you will finally have enough. I didn’t have the heart to end it because I didn’t want it to. I loved you so much that I was willing to do anything to keep you. I always told myself I will become better for you. That I will finally become the boyfriend that you so deserve. But it was too late. You were so fed up and I was too late. So when you finally asked for a breakup, what was I supposed to do? You were no longer happy with me. If I would’ve fought for us, you would’ve stayed. We will be happy for a while but it will be shit again. Then you’re going to regret being with me. And I’m going to regret it for the rest of my life. So when you asked for a breakup, I agreed. I let you go. Because you deserve better. You deserve better than someone like me.”

Yixing was stunned. He never knew any of this. 

“Ah, Dr. Zhang,” Minseok joined them. “Sorry that took so long, bro,” he told Junmyeon.

“Minseok, I’m canceling the surgery,” Junmyeon told his brother.

“What?”

“Dr. Zhang has been emotionally compromised. I don’t want him operating on me.”

“Junmyeon, what are you --”

“Take me to my room, Minseok. I’m so tired,” Junmyeon cut off his brother.

“Junmyeon,” Minseok was so lost. “Dr. Zhang, I’ll talk to my brother about this. Please, don't cancel the surgery.”

“Cancel it,” Junmyeon said. “Take me to my room, please. I’m just so tired.”

Yixing was just staring at his computer. His aortic dissection repair surgery was canceled and patient Kim wants to be discharged. A surgical video of an aortic dissection repair on a 37-year old TA victim was playing on his screen. But Yixing wasn’t seeing it.

A knock pulled him out from his thoughts.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Yixing greeted Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo sat on the chair opposite Yixing’s table, where his patients usually sit. Kyungsoo placed a can of coffee on his table. The same one that Junmyeon tried to sneak nights before.

“He’s being discharged,” Yixing whispered. He was sure he was speaking but the voice didn’t sound like him.

“Yeah, I saw Baekhyun preparing his discharge papers.”

“I can’t believe he doesn’t want the surgery. Have I...Have I not explained it to him well? Did I miss something when I explained to him the procedure? I’m sure I told him everything that he needed to know about the procedure. I was --”

“Yixing,” Kyungsoo reached out for Yixing’s hands and squeezed them.

“He will die. He will die if he won’t have this surgery, Kyungsoo. He will die and it will be my fault. He has a chance to live but he doesn’t want to,” Yixing was now sobbing.

“Oh, Yixing,” Kyungsoo stood up and went to his friend and hugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know if I will be able to take it. I don’t know what I’ll do if he dies when there was something I could’ve done about it. I already lost him once, Kyungsoo. I don’t want to lose him again.”

Yixing remembered the last time he cried hard. It was also because of Junmyeon. He cried hard the night they broke up and the few nights that followed.

“What am I going to do?”

“Yixing, look at me,” Kyungsoo let him go and grabbed his shoulders. He waited until Yixing was tearily looking at him. “You fix broken hearts but you’ve neglected to fix yours. I know Junmyeon being back in your life allowed you to feel the emotions you repressed for so long because you were afraid to feel the hurt again. But Yixing, this chance that was given to you...I believe not only will you fix his heart, but you will also fix yours.”

“What?”

“You’re still his doctor until you sign those discharge papers. You’re Dr. Zhang, the doctor extraordinaire. But most especially, you’re Yixing and you deserve your happy ending too. So if your happy ending is him, then go get that happy ending, Yixing.”

Yixing barged in Room 522 with renewed will. He decided that he will not lose Junmyeon again. Baekhyun was just going over the papers when Yixing interrupted.

“Dr. Zhang,” Baekhyun called. He looked at Kyungsoo who followed Yixing. Kyungsoo just gave him a single nod. Baekhyun slowly sidled up to Kyungsoo.

“I will not be signing those papers and you will remain here, Junmyeon. I won’t allow you to give up,” Yixing told Junmyeon.

“What?” Junmyeon stood from his bed. He was no longer in a hospital gown and the bed behind him was made. Minseok stood by the sofa with their bags already packed.

“I’m sorry if I let my personal feelings affect my judgment. But I won’t allow you to give up, Kim Junmyeon.”

“Yixing, --”

“You were right. If you would’ve fought for us at that time, I would’ve stayed. Because I love you so much, Junmyeon. So damn much. I would've stayed even if it was already hurting me. Loving you was breathing air for me. I needed you. But you were also right, we were already unhappy and our relationship has become toxic so that it was better for us to separate. And it did us good. We saw the errors in our ways. But we’re mature now. We’ve outgrown our immature and selfish selves. So no, I won’t allow you to give up this time. I know you’re scared, I know how terrifying this is for you but I’m here. I’m here and I won’t leave. Before, during, and after. I won’t leave. Don’t give up on this. Don’t give up on us. We did that before but now we were given a chance again. I’m better at time management now, Junmyeon, so now’s the really good time to date me. And you’ve changed also and my god, if I wasn’t your doctor now I would’ve kissed the hell out of you. So please. Please, Junmyeon. Have this surgery. Please.”

Junmyeon opened his mouth to speak but he found it hard to formulate a sentence. 

“Yixing, I...I don’t want to die,” he finally said and sobbed hard. Yixing immediately came to him and held him tight.

“I won’t let you die. I won’t let that happen, Junmyeon,” Yixing said. “I will do everything to keep you alive. I will.”

Junmyeon finally nodded and another person was crying. Minseok just reached out for his brother and Yixing let Junmyeon go so his brother could hug him. Yixing felt Baekhyun and Kyungsoo behind him.

“Uhm, guys? Can you keep the last part about my speech a secret? I don’t want the board to know,” Yixing requested.

“The part where you said you were going to kiss the hell out of him if you weren’t his doctor?” Kyungsoo teased and Yixing elbowed him.

“What you see, what you hear, leave it here. Got it, doc,” Baekhyun winked at him.

Junmyeon’s gurney was now being wheeled to the OR and trailing it were Junmyeon’s sobbing brothers. Even Jongdae was crying uncontrollably.

“Oh my god, can you stop that? People will think I’m dying,” Junmyeon complained. “Doctor, please tell them to calm down.”

Yixing smiled fondly down at him. Then he turned to the brothers.

“As this will be an open-heart surgery, this will take us about four to six hours. If you don’t see me out during that time, then it means the surgery is going well,” Yixing said.

“So if we see you before those times are up then that means…”

Jongin couldn’t even finish his sentence as he started to bawl.

“Doctor, please put me under. I don’t think I can take this anymore,” Junmyeon said.

Yixing chuckled. “I told Nurse Byun to keep you updated. See you later then.”

Yixing was already prepped up and he looked down at Junmyeon as he was being prepped also.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“You tell me, doc,” Junmyeon replied. “Yixing?”

“Yes?”

“What if you opened my chest and you saw that my heart is so ugly? Will you still accept me?”

Yixing looked around at his surgical team snickering. “Ha, ha. Very funny." Then he looked back down on his patient. "Junmyeon, to tell you honestly, all internal organs look ugly once they’re exposed to air. Except for the heart, of course.”

The anesthesiologist already injected the anesthesia and Junmyeon was now groggy.

“I'll be getting another doctor after this surgery. I'm firing you,” Junmyeon said.

“Why would you do that?” Yixing asked.

“So that I can kiss the hell out of you too.”

Yixing was stretching his back as he made his way towards the waiting room where the Kim brothers were huddled together. It was Jongdae who first saw him and the brothers were immediately on their feet.

“The surgery went well,” Yixing told them and the brothers finally let out a breath of relief and some more tears. “He’s being transferred to the ICU now. We will keep him there for a week before we will transfer him to a private ward. You will find Nurse Byun on the ICU Nurse station and he will orient you with post-surgery patient care.”

Yixing was about to leave but Minseok hugged him tightly.

“Thank you, doctor. Thank you so much.”

Jongdae and Jongin joined in the hug too. Yixing just let them be.

It was already a month after the surgery and finally, patient Kim can go home. His recovery was remarkable. He could’ve been discharged earlier but the patient was concerned about his health so he decided to stay longer. For optimal care, of course.

“Hey,” Yixing knocked on the door. 

Junmyeon had just finished putting on his jacket. “Hey.”

“Where are your brothers?”

“They’re just loading my stuff in the car.”

“Hmm,” Yixing nodded as he crossed the room. “So I finally signed your discharge papers. Nurse Byun will be here shortly to talk about patient care at home.”

“Can you repeat that?”

“I said Nurse Byun will talk to you about patient care at home. It’s really just about reminders on your medication and schedules for follow-up check-ups.”

“No, before the thing you said before that.”

Yixing cocked his head sideward. “That I signed your discharge papers?”

“So you’re no longer my doctor?” Junmyeon asked.

“I am still your doctor but if you’re still serious about getting a different --”

Yixing wasn’t able to finish his sentence because Junmyeon just stepped towards him, cradled his face, and then kissed him.

Yixing was surprised to react at first but Junmyeon’s soft and sweet lips against his were melting him. Yixing responded to the kiss and pulled Junmyeon closer.

God, he had missed this.

“God, I’ve been wanting to do that since I saw you walking to me in the ER,” Junmyeon was breathless.

Yixing was equally breathless too. Junmyeon’s hands were now on his waist and Yixing rested his forehead on Junmyeon's.

“Are you really sure you’re moving here?” Yixing asked.

“Yeah, we’re going to check the apartment we got.”

“I told you that you could live with me,” Yixing whispered.

“I want to do this right this time. I don’t want to suffocate you. I still want you to have your freedom.”

“Well, you’ve granted me freedom for five years,” Yixing told him. “I want you to live with me.”

“Are you sure?”

Yixing nodded. “I don’t want to live without you anymore, Junmyeon. Besides, if you’re really looking for optimal care, then what better way than to live with a doctor?”

“God, I love you so much,” Junmyeon kissed him again and then hugged him tightly. “I love you. I never stopped.”

“I never stopped either. I love you too. I love you so much too. And I’m not leaving you this time.”

“Thank you for fixing my broken heart, literally and figuratively.”

“I’m the Handy Man. I fix broken hearts. But you fixed mine too,” Yixing snuggled into the hug.

“You guys are so cute," Baekhyun interrupted. "Uhm, Dr. Zhang? Can I have the patient’s time now?” Baekhyun hovered by the door.

Junmyeon let him go but not before planting one last kiss on Yixing’s lips. Yixing saw Baekhyun’s lit eyes when he passed and he knew he would never hear the end of this teasing.

“I’ll wait for you outside, Junmyeon,” he called back to the room.

“Okay,” Junmyeon replied. “Oh, and one last thing.”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

Yixing tried hard to fight the blush and grin. But he was just so happy. “I love you too.”

“And I love you guys, too. Now, can I please do my job so that you two can continue saying cringy and corny stuff to each other?” Baekhyun complained.

Yixing was skipping in his steps as he made his way back to his office. 

He was the Handy Man. He fixes broken hearts because he can.

And now, his own broken heart was fixed too.

**Author's Note:**

> How was it? Did you like it?
> 
> To be honest, I had a hard time writing this one. This was supposed to be heavy angst, with one of them dying. But somehow halfway through it, I didn't like the story anymore so I scraped it and re-written and re-written everything until I was finally satisfied. I hope I made the right choice. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading.


End file.
